Helping your elderly parent move – how to protect them from coronavirus

Helping your elderly parent move – how to protect them from coronavirus

Due to the resent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, many countries are forced to limit the movement of their citizens. That’s why it’s not recommended to move while this is happening. In fact, it’s best to completely reduce your movement to a minimum, in order to improve protection for both others and yourself. It’s absolutely necessary to follow the instructions about isolation given by local and federal authorities which may, or may not, be different from state to state. And, since everything is updated hourly, try to keep up with new information. Be responsible and do your best when helping your elderly parent move and protect them properly from coronavirus.

Protecting your elderly parents from coronavirus

While this virus outbreak poses real health risks for everyone, officials are trying to explain that our seniors are a particularly vulnerable part of the population. It doesn’t mean that the younger population is immune, only that the virus is more likely to attack people with the already frail immune system. The most common publicly announced symptoms are:

Continuous coughing – some people are reporting pain that feels like you have shattered glass in your lungs.

Fatigue and muscle pain often follow the virus, but they are not necessarily indicators of sickness.

If you are experiencing some of the symptoms and are suspecting on the disease, call immediately your local medical institution which is in charge of dealing with potential coronavirus patients.

Can you avoid moving in this situation?

Now is the right time to “downsize, reschedule, and relocate” your activities instead of your possessions. Of course, everyone will worry about their parents who are living in senior communities and similar accommodation. However, you should avoid making a panic relocation. People working there are already following all the necessary procedures in order to protect seniors.

Whatever you do, your hands should be clean.

On the other side, if there is a real need to move your parents because they might get better medical care at your home, you should tread carefully. Even in this situation, it’s possible to find a professional moving company like Discount Moving & Storage Ottawa, who will safely help you get everything in a short amount of time. All working companies and services are obliged to follow strict sanitation procedures in order to protect their clients and workers.

Familiarize yourself with disease and follow instructions

The infamous coronavirus is spreading across the world on a steady rise. It’s not yet clear if the disease will reach its peak in some countries. In order to be ready for any kind of situation in weeks ahead, you should get familiar with all the aspects and practices concerning the virus. Simply put, it’s in the nature of viruses to reach the climax before things get better. Among other habits, some of the crucial parts of your everyday life, in the next couple of weeks, would be to:

Important to realize, while you should have some supplies ready, at least for a while, don’t fall into a trap and be one of the panic shoppers. Governments are preparing for years for much worse scenarios, so there is plenty of everything in reserves. Sometimes, it takes some time to transport supplies and make them available to the public, but they do exist for their citizens.

Keep the distance to reduce the danger.

Take all precautions while helping your elderly parent move

Hypothetically speaking, if you absolutely must move your parents, then these couple of steps might help you:

Check with the doctor and available medical staff about the condition and readiness of your parents prior to the move.

Take their advice seriously and provide all the needed protection including masks, protective gloves, hand cleaning solutions, and even a wardrobe.

Make sure you have all the medicament and ask your doctor to give you prescriptions so you can obtain enough in advance. This way you will avoid chasing for medicament every few weeks and exposing yourself to danger.

Get a professional moving company that provides the top-level service. Usually, you should think if you will need any additional services like specialty moving or storage. You might not have enough place for all your parent’s items at home.

Organize the moving day with protection and safety as your primary goal. Maximize the distance between movers and family members to protect them all. Also, wearing a mask all the time would be of utmost importance.

Provide a place for your movers where they can wash hands and clean themselves without disrupting the rest of your household residents.

Have your pets on a leash or confine them in their house/cage/predefined habitat.

What to do with doctor’s appointments?

Logically, in a situation like this, you should cancel all nonessential doctor’s appointments. Generally speaking, you can obtain plenty of useful information over the phone. Most of the time there is no need to visit medical facilities or your doctor’s office. However, some of the elders with more serious conditions may require regular examination. In those situations, it’s best to ask your doctor about the plans to deal with these particular cases.

Avoid physical contact at all costs.

Help your elders stay active

Staying active, even indoors, is one of the ways to stay healthy. The lack of activity can weaken your immune system, so imagine how it affects seniors. While it can be hard to retain physical activity inside the house, there are still ways to keep your elders occupied. If nothing else, it will help them with their mental health, which is also one of the most important things. Especially in the pandemic and depressive situation like this. Try to make some space for small house walks, board games, family activities like cooking or watching movies that can really lift the spirit. For the same reason, this is the perfect time to catch up with some of your neglected hobbies.

Final words about helping your elderly parent move

To conclude, the best way of helping your elderly parent move and to protect them from coronavirus is to avoid moving at all. Of course, unless you have to. If you eventually have to do it, then follow the general instructions and limit the contact with other potential carriers. Take good care of your family and try to keep the optimism at maximum. We went through the worse things than this, and we will be victorious once again. God bless you.